One reoccurring problem which at times can be devastating to healthy deciduous trees is the infection of such trees by various fungi. When such an infection occurs, it can spread rapidly from tree to tree, and in short order wipe out an entire area of a given species. For example, certain of our midwestern cities have been wiped out by a common fungi disease referred to as Dutch Elm Disease, technically Cerateocystis Ulmi. Other equally common but perhaps less notorious diseases include oak wilt (Faegacaerum), sycamore decline, maple decline, including Norway maple, Crimson maple, red maple, and anthracnose in ash.
A common factor of the above mentioned diseases is that they can spread rapidly from tree to tree, and that they are all fungus diseases of deciduous trees. The ability of the disease to spread from tree to tree exaggerates the effect when, as is often the case, a given locality is populated densely with a single species.
The devastating effect of such fungus diseases on deciduous trees can be illustrated by the most famous of the diseases successfully treated by this invention, Dutch Elm Disease. In Dutch Elm Disease, the original infection with the fungus may come by transfer from a particular beetle species. Once one or more of the trees in a given population are infected, the fungus can then transfer through root chutes from tree to tree, causing infection of the entire population in a relatively short period of time. It is this phenomenon which has literally wiped out the Dutch Elm tree population in many midwestern cities.
Accordingly there is a real and continuing need for the development of an effective fungicide against Cerateocystis Ulmi and the other above mentioned fungus diseases.
There is also a real and continuing need for the development of an effective treatment which will act as a toxin to the fungus causing the above mentioned diseases of deciduous trees, while at the same time is not harmful to man and the surrounding environment.
This invention has as its primary objectives the fulfillment of the above needs.
Yet another objective of this invention is to develop and effective fungicide for fungus diseases of deciduous trees which utilizes as its active ingredient, methyl mercury organo complex ions, which are developed by metabolism in situ within the tree. This avoids exposure outside of the tree of the environment, and those doing the treating, to the highly lethal methyl mercury toxin.
The method and means of accomplishing each of the above objectives, as well as others, will become apparent from the detailed description of the invention which follows.